Houston didn’t just survive Saturday night’s test against Oklahoma State. The Cougars embraced the chaos and came out with one of their biggest wins of the season, a 35-32 Big 12 escape at TDECU Stadium that kept them rolling behind Conner Weigman.
Weigman was once again the headline act. The Houston quarterback went 24 of 33 for 343 yards and five touchdowns, following up last week’s four-touchdown performance in a road win over Kansas State with another huge night in front of the home crowd.
The Cougars looked in control for long stretches. They took a 14-3 lead into halftime, then pushed the margin to 28-17 late in the third quarter. Oklahoma State, though, kept finding answers and turned the fourth quarter into a sprint.
Drew Mestemaker sparked the Cowboys’ comeback when he hit Caleb Hawkins for a 66-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter, then Oklahoma State cashed in on the two-point conversion to cut it to 28-25. Houston responded the way good teams do in tight spots. On the next possession, Weigman unloaded a 48-yard touchdown to Koby Young, stretching the lead back to 35-25 and giving the Cougars the cushion they needed.
The Cowboys still weren’t done. Mestemaker connected with Justin Bowick on an eight-yard touchdown with 4:59 left, pulling Oklahoma State within 35-32. But Houston shut the door from there, grinding through its final possession and finishing the game with Weigman picking up a first down to help seal it.
Mestemaker was sharp even in defeat, throwing for 365 yards and three touchdowns. Oklahoma State piled up 499 total yards, but Houston was just a little cleaner and a little more explosive, finishing with 505 yards of its own.
The win moved Houston to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in Big 12 play. More importantly, it gave Willie Fritz’s team its second straight impressive conference victory and put the Cougars firmly in the championship race.
Houston heads to Salt Lake City next week to face Utah. Oklahoma State, now 2-1 in league play, returns home to host Colorado in Week 8.
In Other News...
Oklahoma State Let A Huge Road Opportunity Slip Away Late
No. 20 Houston and No. 18 Oklahoma State staged the kind of Big 12 shootout that can turn on one possession, and for much of the night the Cowboys looked capable of turning a difficult road trip into a signature win. Oklahoma State had to chase the game at TDECU Stadium, but Drew Mestemaker kept it alive with a second-half rally that produced 365 passing yards and three touchdowns, giving the Cowboys every chance to leave with a result that would have changed the feel of their season.
Instead, the late moments swung the other way in a 35-32 loss that left Oklahoma State at 4-2 and Houston at 6-1. The Cowboys got close enough to make the finish tense, but Houston found the answer it needed and then managed the clock, a frustrating ending for a team that had already done so much to climb back into the game. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Let A Winnable Game Slip Away On Defense
Oklahoma States four-game winning streak ended in a frustrating 35-32 loss to Houston, and the biggest issue was one the Cowboys couldnt quite get off the field. The defense struggled with time of possession and missed tackles, letting Houston stay on schedule and extend drives in a game that was there to be taken.
The Cowboys did get a second-half spark from Drew Mestemaker, who passed for 365 yards, and the offense showed enough life to make it a true late-game battle. But Oklahoma State never fully cashed in on its chances, and one critical red-zone trip helped leave the result hanging just out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma State Fans May See The Playoff Very Differently Soon
ESPNs report of an in-principle television deal for a 24-team College Football Playoff has a way of changing how seasons get judged, especially for programs outside the very top tier. For Oklahoma State, the discussion matters because the Cowboys have never reached the current four-team field, even in years when they were squarely in the mix for a major postseason run.
Under the expanded setup, the path to the playoff would look much different for teams like Oklahoma State, with far more room for a strong season to still turn into a national title chase. The format is aimed at beginning in 2027 if the remaining approvals come through, and its exactly the kind of shift that could make the postseason feel a lot more reachable in Stillwater. [Read more 🡒]